26 Aug 2018

Project coordinator for  Hope Worldwide Botswana Ms Teko Kanasi has urged the youth to stop the habit of abusing alcohol and drugs which she said was dangerous to their health.

When giving key objectives of the day during the alcohol and drug use awareness day in Molepolole on Friday, Ms Kanasi said the issue of alcohol and drug abuse was a major concern as it continued to grow mostly among young people.

She said the purpose of the awareness was to educate the youth, mostly groups about the dangers of drugs, explaining that if all could stop the habit, they could achieve a free alcohol and drug use generation.

The project coordinator Ms Kanasi pointed out that most of the time the use of drugs as well as alcohol happened at parties where the youth met as a group of different people of different habits, emphasising that men were the most affected.

She further said it was wise for them to take good care of their health, saying this could help in making them good leaders for the future .

Ms Kanasi added that as they educated peer groups they believed that those groups could relate well to each other and encourage each other individually to refrain from the habit of using drugs as well as alcohol.

Meanwhile, the country director of Hope Worldwide Botswana Ms Ellen Eyman told the youth that alcohol and drugs brought about poverty as most of the money was spent on them.

Ms Eyman pointed out that it was not wrong to take alcohol but the problem arose when one abused it as this led to severe consequences like domestic violence and fights which led to killings.

When giving his testimony Prophet Kaboyaone Gakeatlholwe of Sacred Trinity International Church said he was once a dealer and a drug lord, revealing that he started drinking and smoking while at primary school.

Prophet Gakeatlholwe further said when he was drunk, he would become a gangster, explaining that people were afraid of him.

He said he did not perform well at junior school and was also suspended on his first day at vocational school in Kanye due to abuse of alcohol.

He further revealed that from what he went through, he decided “to give my life to Jesus” as a way of changing his life, urging the youth to take the same route so that they could be responsible people and have a bright future. ENDS